Broncos: Who will be the backup to Drew Lock?

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 29: Drew Lock #3 of the Denver Broncos passes against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter of a game at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos head into 2020 with questions about their backup quarterback situation. Who will be the guy backing up Drew Lock?

The Denver Broncos started three different quarterbacks over the course of the 2019 season. First it was Joe Flacco, who was supposed to be the starter for the entire season.

That did not go as planned, as there were things that led the team to place him on injured reserve. First he called out the offensive coordinator and then not long after, it was disclosed that Flacco had a neck injury which would force him to miss the rest of the season.

It is very, very likely that Flacco will not be on the 2020 roster.

After Flacco was placed on IR, it was then Brandon Allen’s turn. He played three games, completing just 39 of 84 passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Drew Lock then became healthy enough to practice, and was named the starter from week 13 to week 17. He went 100-of-156 for 1,020 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

Lock is expected to be the starting quarterback in 2020. (It has not officially been confirmed but it is as if everybody is onboard with that decision)

So who will end up being the backup to Lock? I do not expect it to be Brandon Allen. I expect them to realize that they can do much better.

There are plenty of free agent quarterbacks out there.

The most notable free agent quarterbacks to be on the market are Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Philip Rivers. At this point, out of those three, Rivers seems like the most likely to be a member of the Denver Broncos in 2020.

Jameis Winston could be on his way out of Tampa Bay this offseason, and same goes for Marcus Mariota in Tennessee. Both players have under performed since being the first and second overall picks in the 2015 Draft. I personally would not touch Winston with the longest crab leg you can get due to his high number of interceptions over the years.

Is Case Keenum an option? Most certainly. While Keenum wasn’t great as the starter for Denver in 2018, he could serve as a solid backup to Lock as well as a mentor.

Another option is Brett Rypien, who the team signed as an undrafted free agent last year following the draft. Rypien signed a reserve/futures contract on the last day of 2019. Rypien was talked about a lot as a fit for the Broncos following his collegiate career at Boise State, where he went 40-13 and throwing 90 touchdowns to 29 interceptions.

The Broncos could draft another quarterback somewhere later in the 2020 Draft, but the expectation is that they will add one via free agency to get a guy with experience.

So, the Broncos will finally head into a season with a Lock at quarterback. (pun intended) This will be the first time since Peyton Manning that the team didn’t have a quarterback controversy. However, there are still questions about who will be the second-stringer.